WeAreGorillas

Breana Leyva: Finding Your Creative Spark

[Remmy.] It's so nice to finally be able to do this! Thanks for all your support and love you show. It's always amazing getting a chance to read what you all have to say. Truly inspiring. So, give us a little background about you?

[Breana.] Absolutely! Although I should be the one thanking you guys for always showing me and my fellow creatives constant love and support. It truly means the world. My name is Bre and I'm a 21 year old photographer based out of Phoenix, Arizona. I'm a full time EMT and student. Right now I'm currently on track to become a nurse however my long term goal is to become an Emergency Room Physician. Photography is a hobby that I picked up a little over 2 years ago and it hasn't let me down since. My favorite things to do include binge watching YouTube videos about conspiracy theories and perfecting my stand up comedy act while I'm in the shower. I also enjoy making YouTube videos so I'm going to use this as an opportunity to shamelessly plug my YouTube channel where you can check out behind the scenes videos from some of my past shoots. youtube.com/spaghettidesperado

[Remmy.] How long would you say you've been a Creative -- Let's use the point at which you really started taking it serious you know? I know we all test the waters at first, but at what point were you like; I'm going to put myself out there!

[Breana.] I've been a creative for a little over 2 years. The funny thing about how I got into photography is that it all happened by accident. In late 2016 a very close friend of mine, Serina, had asked me to take her senior photos. For me, it was a very strange request because I had never even touched a camera to take somebody else's photos before, let alone their senior photos that would be posted online and sent out to family. I knew absolutely nothing about photography, cameras, or editing and I didn't even have a camera of my own to take the pictures on. After I had expressed my concerns to her about not having experience or a camera, she reached out to her cousin Isaiah who let me borrow his Canon T5 to take her photos. That day, I picked up a camera and never put it back down. Isaiah ended up letting me have the camera that I did my first shoot with (and I still continue to use for all of my shoots today). It's safe to say that without Serina and Isaiah, I probably wouldn't have ever thought to test the waters of photography. I'll be forever thankful for the both of them for supporting me and pushing me to try new things. I didn't really start putting myself out there as a serious creative on social media until about last year. Ever since then, the twitter community has been insanely supportive of all of the work I produce. Im so thankful for all of them.

[Remmy.] Have you come across anyone that just seems to have it out for you yet? Like a "hater" I suppose haha. I always find it fascinating that I'll see tweets/comments about not liking someone's work but then I see a "like" or rt of that person's work on their page. I feel like a lot of people are reaching for attention maybe in the incorrect way? And then hoping something positive translates.

[Breana.] To my knowledge, no. I'm sure there are people who see my work and don't like it or have something negative to say about it. Which is fine, art is subjective and not everybody is always going to be a fan of your specific style. As far as anybody actually hating on me or my work goes, that isn't something I've had to deal with up to this point. However, I do think that there are a lot of creatives out there that can be envious of the attention that other photographers receive. When this happens, the people who are envious act out in a very passive aggressive way. For example, sub-tweeting those who are getting that attention or purposely not engaging with their work to take away from the possibility of more people seeing it. I've seen a lot of creatives expect support from the community but aren't willing to reciprocate for anybody else and it's disappointing because as a creative trying to make it, you should always be more than supportive of the people around you who are going after the same thing. I know I'll eventually run into someone who wants to spread negativity and hate but when that day comes, I'll be fine. Some people just like to go through life trying to make everybody else as miserable as they are.

[Breana.] I think one of the things that drives my passion is myself. I used to have this mindset where I felt like I needed to produce work that imitated other photographers style's because I felt like it was what people wanted to see. I was in a silent competition with other creatives, trying to imitate them or trying to out-do them and that hindered me more so than anything else. I finally realized that the only person I should be in competition with is myself. After I realized this, the number one thing that drove my inspiration was just wanting each shoot to be better than the last. My group of friends also play a huge role in inspiring me to be better each day. I've never had such a solid and inspiring group of friends in my life that are all so equally driven by the dream. I'm constantly surrounded by positive minded and passionate people who understand the time and effort that goes into creating something great. They really help keep me focused.

[Remmy.] You create really aesthetic visuals and the splash of color tone choices you use really make your work stand out from other Creatives; Do you have any suggestions for Creatives that could help them find what works best for them? Without necessarily copying the "vibe" of another freelancers portfolio.

[Breana.] Thank you so much! In a world where it feels like everything has already been done, sometimes it can be hard to create something that feels unique. It took me about a year before I found the vibe I was going for. I think the best piece of advice I can offer other creatives that are trying to find their own style or what works best for them is to literally try everything. Play around with Lightroom and Photoshop. Learn the programs. What helped me find the vibe that I liked was looking at other photographers work that I admired and looking at what colors and tones they used. I had to figure out what style struck me the most and then I added my own flavor as time went on. Finding what works best for you isn't a process that's going to be completed overnight. Patience and curiosity are key.

[Breana.] I think the number one person I've always looked up to in the industry is Angelina Paldzyan. She was one of the first photographers that I ever followed on twitter and I remember seeing her work for the first time and thinking to myself "damn, I hope I'm half as good as she is someday". Her grind and passion for her art was something that stood out to me amongst other photographers that I followed. I remember idolizing her and thinking that she was the coolest person ever (which I can now confirm is true). It's just insane to think about the fact that the people you idolize can become people you consider family. Even today, her opinion means a lot to me and she's always the one I go to when I want an honest opinion.

[Remmy.] What's a special quote or poem that always seems to brighten your day?

[Breana.]A quote that I always find myself reciting in my head would have to be a line from the song "Till the End" by Logic. In one of the verses he says"Everyday boy I thank the lord, I've got a lot of problems but could have more"It always brings me back down to earth and helps me remember just how lucky I am to be alive and living the life that I do.